Common Sense
by Jfoodsama
Summary: Naruto Uzumaki was neither a genius nor an idiot. He didn't need fancy bloodlines or sparkly eyeballs to become great. No, the only thing that he needed, and what would distinguish him from the rest, was Common Sense. Butterfly Effect. Smartish!Naruto. Gen.
1. Chapter 1 Five Years Old

**Common Sense**

Ch.1

 **Hello everyone! I'm writing this fic because the idea has been buzzing around my head for weeks. I have read a lot of Smart!Genius!Naruto that somehow manages to learn enough things to make a village by himself or how many cool jutsus he knows.**

 **I decided that Naruto does not need a super Kekkei Genkai or fancy eyes to become a great ninja, as he already has everything he might want within himself. He doesn't need to be a genius at the level of Itachi and become Jonin at ten. I like the goofy and determined twelve years old of the first part too much to change him radically. No, what he really needs to come out of his shell of foolishness is a good dose of Common Sense. It might cause some trouble in a world such as the Elemental Nations, but that is part of the fun.**

 **I have changed a few things, mostly what I thought was plot holes or irrational events, so it shouldn't be too AU.**

 **All this thingy belongs to The Kishi.**

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 **Five years old**

Naru-chan was five and into the first week of Pre-Academy when he realized that the surrounding people were more or less crazy. He didn't even mean 'Snake-Dango-Lady' crazy, the kind that enjoyed licking kunai in public and moan at the terrified expressions, no.

He meant the kind of crazy that made you be scared shitless of a cute five-year old and not bat an eyelash when six years old children had a squabble about efficiency and cleanliness of senbon against more traditional weapons, because he wasn't blind and he could see that the majority of the Leaf's inhabitants, be they civilians or ninja, even if there were more of the first, were completely terrified of him.

Naruto knew this because of his tenant, who by mixing his Youki with the boy's chakra gave him an advanced Sensing Ability, known as _Negative Emotion Sensing,_ which coupled with his natural ability as an Uzumaki and his own affinity for Natural Chakra, gave the boy a deep understanding of those around him, not that he knew the specifics.

They didn't treat him too badly, and a few people even seemed to approve of him for some reason, but many more would have preferred attempting to murder Ibiki with a cue tip instead of being in his presence for too long.

This didn't exactly transfer to the kids, but they still picked up on the adults behavior and avoided him in consequence.

Now, Uzumaki Naruto was no genius, but he wasn't an idiot too, and he could clearly see that there was something different about him. No other kid received the same treatment that he did!

Being a five-year old, Naru-chan wasn't really obsessed for answers, but it didn't mean that he wasn't curious.

"I don't know what you're talking about" was the response he got most of the time, be it from teachers or caretakers.

Still, the young blonde didn't stop in his quest for the truth. It had become a game in the months following his fifth birthday, a quest. He didn't have friends to play with and Hokage-Jiji couldn't always make time for him - he was a busy man, he understood - so even the smallest thing could become a fantastic adventure.

One day, having dodged the hellish caretakers, ducked under the monstrous library oni-guard's gaze, little Naruto slipped 'unnoticed' inside the Village's Library, feeling a little like a real ninja.

He normally wouldn't have bothered doing such extensive research, but something about today's History lesson niggled his senses. While he didn't exactly like studying boring theory, the life of the Kages was an interest of his, and when he heard that the Shodaime Senju Hashirama's wife's name was Uzumaki Mito, his curiosity was piqued. It was only a mention, something that a history-savvy teacher had learned and slipped in the lecture. He wouldn't have noticed it normally, but a lecture on a Hokage may include important notions to become one, and he would!

Was it possible that he wasn't just a clanless orphan? Maybe he was very distantly related to the Shodai's wife? Well, he would find out today!

Armed with fiery determination, Naruto walked confidently towards the 'History' aisles. There he found many tomes, scrolls and pamphlets detailing the history of Konohagakure no Sato and the rest of the Elemental Countries. Well, at least what was accessible to the general public of civilians. The ninja library was much more secure and complete.

Even if a little disheartened by the volume of materials he would need to go through, Naruto steeled himself and jumped to the task.

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A few hours later, Naruto could still be found in the General Library, his tongue poking out of his teeth in concentration. He had leafed through many of the books who had interesting titles such as _A comprehensive study of Hi no Kuni's Clans_ and _Konoha's roots: history of the clans._

Unfortunately, he hadn't found an Uzumaki Clan with residence in Hi no Kuni but for a small mention of the brother Clan of the Senju, who resided in Uzu no Kuni, an island which was empty of settlements nowadays.

Apparently, five hundred years ago or so the Senju experienced an internal conflict and the resulting splitting made up the Uzumaki Clan. The reasons for such weren't reported, but Naruto didn't really expect them to.

There wasn't much on his newly found Clan apart from an apparent excellence of Seal Masters.

Now that was something he could look into. A legacy just for him! How cool was that?!

Unfortunately, not much about Fūinjutsu open to civilians, as it was a complex and dangerous art. Naruto searched for hidden scrolls about the art all over the Library, but ended up empty-handed. The only thing he found was a description of the super cool things that could be done with it. Apparently, a few squiggly lines were enough to teleport a person from a place to another! And all the Hokages were Fūinjutsu masters, apart from the first, who had his wife for that. The Yondaime was a Seal Master!

Naruto decided then and there that even if he ended up not being an actual Uzumaki he would study seals until they burst from his ears.

A bit happier but still curious, the young blonde decided to go to the one person who would know the answers of his predicament for sure: Hokage-Jiji!

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Sarutobi Hiruzen was many things, but heartless was not one of them. Sure, he had done his duty to the village many times and taken more lives that he could remember, his mere presence on the battlefield had been enough to put the fear of God in the heart of his enemies, but looking at the small blonde in front of him, he felt his heart constrict a bit.

He looked so hopeful, so bright and open, looking at him with his big blue eyes, the Hokage felt his resolve to keep Naruto's heritage from him - for his safety - break down. Hiruzen knew, with just one glance, that if he told the boy that he wasn't an actual Uzumaki, something would break. He didn't know what, but the fragility and innocence in front of him, which had miraculously survived the ostracism from the villagers, would disappear like snow in a summer day.

He couldn't, wouldn't bring himself to lie to him more than he had already. The Sandaime already regretted having to hide the child's parents' identity from little Naruto, even if it was a necessary security measure. Both he and Jiraya had decided so on that fateful October 10th, so he wouldn't break his word.

But giving the boy something to hold on, something to help him weather the difficult life ahead of him, that he could do.

The Hokage made a gesture to invite Naruto to sit down and with the other hand he tapped the seal carved on the underside of his desk, activating a privacy ward around his office. He was a Seal Master too, after all.

"I'm proud of you, Naruto-kun, your research was complete and accurate" Hiruzen commented, favouring the boy with a smile.

The blonde grinned toothily and scratched the back of his head, basking in the warmth that the old man's words had brought.

"What I'm about to tell you is a secret from everyone else, and you have to promise to me to be careful not to let it slip" the Hokage continued, waiting for the blonde's affirmation before resuming in his speech.

And so he explained the origins of the Uzumaki Clan, the tragic end in the Second Shinobi War and the shame of Konoha, who then decided to honour its lost allies adding a spiral in its symbol. How a few survivors had lived in Konoha and how he was their descendant.

The Professor used all his cunning and oratory skill to hook the child to his Clan's history. He had to make sure that Naruto wouldn't come up with new uncomfortable questions, but he wanted to provide a focus too. He knew that the child didn't have it so easy.

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Fūinjutsu was _hard._ At first, it seemed pretty easy, write a few words, make squiggly lines and _bam,_ it all worked _._ Still, Naruto didn't give up, it was his legacy!

The Art, as he had taken to call it after reading _An Introduction to Seals and Matrices_ by Tobirama Senju, wasn't super flashy and cool like Ninjutsu, but the boy found himself strangely drawn by it. It was hard work to learn all the safety procedures and to perfect his handwriting, but it paid in the end.

After only five months of study he was finally ready to write his first ever active seal!

In the backyard of the Orphanage, little Naruto carefully added the finishing touches to the 1st level Enclosing Tag. It wouldn't do much, merely contain a small something and then release it, and Naruto knew that this same Seal, when done by a Master, could block Ninjutsu and carry them around in a tag or block time inside the pocket dimension and make sure provisions didn't go to waste, but if it worked it would mean that his hard work had paid off.

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, the boy placed a pebble on the tag and put his hands in the Ram Hand-seal, he prepared a bit of his chakra - and how _weird_ and _cool_ was it that he could do magic - and called out "Fūnyū no Jutsu" (Enclosing Technique) and with a mighty puff of smoke - he still needed to work on his chakra control - the pebble disappeared.

Naruto wanted to scream in joy, but he refrained as he knew that it wouldn't be appreciated by the caretakers. After a beat, he moved his fingers in the Hare hand-sign.

"Kaifū no Jutsu!" (Unsealing Technique).

As the smoke cleared, the sight of the small pebble made the young boy jump in excitement, his eyes shining in pride, he had done it!

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As time passed, Naruto made more progress with his Fūinjutsu and the Hokage gave him more and more material to study, many of the scrolls even came from his parents' library, and the boy found himself falling in love with the Art.

The Pre-Academy continued on and while Naruto made an effort in every subject, he found his competitiveness waning in the face of the many exciting challenges of Sealing. He made sure to understand and complete the curriculum, for he wanted more time to continue his studies.

Fūinjutsu had become Naruto's best friend and family, it gave him a connection with his Clan and let him feel less lonely.

The boy, while understanding intellectually thanks to his Sensing ability that the villagers didn't hate him for who he was, still craved reassurance and love, and for every Seal he completed he felt a bit closer to his family.

He had long since decided that he would become the most awesome ninja ever, and to do so would need for him to have ample knowledge in everything, but Naruto knew that most of the shinobi disciplines were reserved for those older than him, and while he would have loved to learn a few cool jutsu, the blonde had decided - with all the wisdom of a five-year old - that he would advance as far as he could in Fūinjutsu and once he started the actual Academy he would invest time and effort in the rest of the disciplines.

His determination and increasing prowess was noticed with some disbelief by his ANBU watchers, who dutifully reported to the Hokage who merely smiled mysteriously at them. He had to find his amusement somewhere in between all the paperwork, didn't he.

Naruto's works increased in time in complexity but the blonde tackled them all without fear, and if he had singed eyebrows or splotches of ink in his clothes, no one commented.

Paradoxically, his study of Seals was what made a few more people stop seeing him as a monster or a ticking bomb and more as a lonely boy. It was endearing seeing him wander around the village with his head buried in a book or another with his hair tousled and scruffy clothes. He looked so much like a child trying his hardest to reach for his dream that some tension that had reigned in the village ever since the attack of the Kyuubi started easing.

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The instructional system in Konoha was divided in three parts, be the student a civilian or a ninja.

The Pre-Academy consisted of 5-7 years old children who were taught the basics of math, language, history and geography. While it was theoretically mandatory for everyone to attend, a law made by the Nidaime, many of the clan children were given the chance to be homeschooled to start on the foundations of their family's history and techniques.

During these first two years the young students are carefully watched by the instructors and profiles are compiled for every of them.

These files give a description of the pupils' character and attitude, following with observations on their possible talents and if they should be allowed in the Shinobi Academy or the Civilian Academy.

Again, as per Tobirama Senju's decree, every child had to attend one of the two institutes. A test would be given at the end of the second year of Pre-Academy, and according to the results and the observations of the teachers, the kids would be started of one of the two paths.

Once inside either of the two Academies, they would be carefully monitored and in the civilian case they would be offered either an apprenticeship with a manual worker or a position in the Secondary Grade Civilian Academy, something that Sarutobi Hiruzen had instituted after deciding that if Konoha could produce his own technology and scientific advancements, it would have the double effect of boosting the village's reputation and favour the military; in the case of the child starting the shinobi path, they would need to study the basics of the ninja arts and in time they would be given the tools to start their own styles and to stand on their own feet. While the whole course of the Shinobi Academy's curriculum was divided in four years, it was possible to take a test at any time, providing the consent of the child's guardian and the homeroom teacher, to jump ahead a year or more in the curriculum.

Now, Konohagakure no Sato had a respectable population of nearly ten thousand inhabitants, two-thirds of which were civilians. Out of the four hundred children in the Pre-Academy age, about three hundred attended. Out of all these, the assigned Chuunins had to carefully individuate those who would best serve the village in the Ninja ranks.

While such a job was usually pretty simple, this year was special for many of the main clans of Konoha had heirs attending or studying in the privacy of their compounds to prepare for the Shinobi Academy. This was a factor that _had_ to be taken in for a coherent decision.

Normally, about a third of the classes would be taken into consideration, about two-thirds of these would be allowed to take the test for admittance - even if in a few cases a child was allowed to pass even without scoring enough, mostly Kekkei Genkai cases - and those that passed would be monitored for specific talents that would serve better in one of the Eight Units that made up the Shinobi Corpses - ANBU, Torture & Interrogation, Hunter-nin, Medic Corps, Cryptanalysis Teams, Genin Corps, Chunin Corps and Jonin Corps -.

The problem that the Chunin Instructors were facing this year was the difficulty in maintaining a balance in their evaluations. For as much as they would have liked to laud the few Clan kids' superiority and that of the more important Civilian families', this year the number one spot was by right of an unaligned child, more specifically the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko, Uzumaki Naruto.

The kid was smart, if not overly so, and definitely dedicated. It wasn't that he was a genius, but everyone and their mother could see that he had something to prove. He most likely had decided to show everyone that he was worth something in response of the silent treatment he received, and not having a family or friends, he had more time than anyone else to study. It helped that he seemed particularly mature - as it is common in lonely children - and so he didn't waste too much time.

As ninja, it wasn't hard to understand the separation between the Kunai and the Scroll which it was sealed into, but the irrational unease they felt around the kid remained. This was why they hesitated at placing the blonde Uzumaki as first in the rankings for the village to see. If the Head of the Haruno textiles' daughter were to come first, no one would bat an eye, nor they would if one of the few Clan kids were to get the top spot, but Naruto was equal to the best of them in theoretical subjects and topped everyone in the practical ones, mostly due to the Fox.

Sighing, the gathered teachers decided not to tamper the results, hoping that it wouldn't bite them in the ass later on, and to stimulate the growth of the other kids. After all, in the Ninja World a five-year old was almost an adult.

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Ichiraku Ramen was a rowdy place usually, today more so as little Naruto Uzumaki was celebrating with the Hokage, ten years old Ayame and Teuchi the chef, for he had scored first in his year at the Pre-Academy end-of-the-year rankings. Truly, considering the usual treatment the boy received, such an accomplishment was to be treasured, as he obtained it all by himself.

Naruto was smiling so wide that his cheeks had started to hurt, but he couldn't find it in himself to care, for he was between his loved ones and nothing else mattered. He felt appreciated and it brought an overflowing happiness to him.

Ayame-chan had hugged him and cheered for his accomplishment, Teuchi-jii-san had given him a free bowl of Miso Ramen and Hokage-Jiji had smiled proudly at him, looking as if nothing more could please him more.

Naruto wondered if this was what completeness felt like.

The boy honestly didn't care much for his high score, as it was merely a validation of what he already knew, but the warm feeling of fulfilment that had settled in his stomach when he found the Sandaime standing in front of his room at the Orphanage, looking at him as if he was a favourite grandson and he couldn't be more proud of him, was the best feeling he ever experienced.

Naruto resolved to give it his best every year and to never dawdle in his studies and training, be it something as amazing as Fūinjutsu - and how cool was it that now he could make basic Stasis Tags, that let him keep the food in his bento warm without ruining all day - or as boring as the Leaf Sticking exercise - because to make seals one needed to be precise, both in the crafting and in the execution, and as he had naturally poor Chakra Control he had to practice every time he could- .

He would become the best he could, to make his Clan and his loved ones proud! Believe it!

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 ** _Hello everyone!_**

 ** _I'm alive, yes. I'm sorry that I didn't update MoD anymore, but I started re-reading a few old fics, really long ones, and then an idea for this story started forming in my head, so it his on pause._**

 ** _I'm not abandoning it, I'll probably post a new chapter in a month or so, but I need to at least start this new fic, for my sanity if nothing else._**

 ** _So! Explanations. Reading the vast number of Naruto fanfictions, I felt that they mainly depicted either an idiot or a genius without equal, something that irked me vastly._**

 ** _I feel that Naruto, paradoxically, is one of the most misunderstood and worst depicted characters of the whole series. There are times where he seems to be merely a loudmouth idiot and times where he pulls something out of his ass (read as learning the Kage Bushing in hours and the Rasengan in a month while it took an adult Jiraya much longer)._**

 ** _Therefore, I wanted to write something to give him justice, without giving into the urge of making him the biggest badass ever and the one who always had the longest dick in the room._**

 ** _Self-pleasing fics have a place and time to be read (preferably at thirteen or something) and this is not it._**

 ** _So, to summarize, I'll try to write a smartish! Naruto without sacrificing his characterization. Some of the events will have to change necessarily, as his actions will have more and more consequences, but I wouldn't worry about Ohs everywhere._**

 ** _I thank you all for reading 'Common Sense' and hope you'll like it!_**

 ** _See ya next time,_**

 ** _J._**


	2. Chapter 2 Eight Years Old

**Common Sense**

Ch.2

 ** _Hullo everyone!_**

 ** _So, second chapter, the start of the Ninja Academy and a taste of real world for little Naruto._**

 ** _I thank everyone for the reviews and I appreciate the Follows and Favorites._**

 ** _I feel like I should explain a couple of things that may have been misunderstood:_**

 ** _While Naruto does_** **understand** ** _the villagers feelings, he does not know how or why. It is the inherent ability of the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, alongside a very fast healing. This is more or less canon. That is to say that OG Naruto obtains this power once he can use the Biju Cloak, and Mito is reported to have it too, so I merely conferred it to him a bit earlier._**

 ** _I prefer using the Romaji to name the techniques that are Canon, and in English the ones I made up or found somewhere in the Fandom, but I have decided that not everyone can be arsed to go looking for the meaning of every single one, so I put the English translation too. It may seem strange, but I personally dislike when all the techniques and names change language, it takes away from the atmosphere._**

 ** _I still don't own Naruto, but I' m working on it, don't worry!_**

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 **Eight years old**

Bright blue eyes sparkled with excitement as they darted through the courtyard, taking everything in and analysing every person in attendance.

Standing in assembly, the new students of the Ninja Academy and their guardians were listening to the Hokage's speech, a masterpiece of rhetoric, meant to involve the youngsters with the use of simple terms and strong emotions and intrigue the adults with its secrets and hidden meanings.

"The Will of Fire" the Sandaime explained, now truly in his 'Professor' role "means that the entire village is like a large family unit and every Konoha shinobi with the Will of Fire loves, believes, cherishes, and fights to protect the village, as previous generations had done before them."

Sarutobi smiled, his eyes making contact with everyone in attendance "This is what gives Konohagakure's shinobi the strength to continue fighting against all odds, building willpower and strength of character. Our comradeship, our understanding of sacrifice, pain and love. Konoha was founded upon these ideals, and because of these ideals it remains unbeaten."

He smiled, and this was the village's grandfather, the man who took care of everyone despite their origins. Naruto looked on in admiration and affection, feeling every word reach deep within and take root, filling him with an indescribable sense of belonging.

"One day you will all inherit the Will of Fire, just like those before you did, and when you will have understood its meaning, you will be true Konoha Shinobi."

A shift, and in front of them was the venerable leader once again, the one who rebuilt his village from ruins with tireless determination. The next word shook the air, with a finality and weight that surprised everyone.

"For when the tree leaves dance, one shall find flames. The fire's shadow will illuminate the village, and once again, tree leaves shall bud anew.(1)"

And Naruto understood, not completely sure of what, but he understood for a second why Konoha was the first and the greatest Hidden Village; the next second the feeling was gone, and the crowd broke in an applause, cheering for their Hokage and the children who started the path of a shinobi.

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Sarutobi truly felt all the weight of his age and responsibility watching the young prodigy kneeling in front of him. He silently watched what could and should have been Konoha's future battle with his own emotions.

The poor boy just had to kill his own clan, leaving only his little brother alive, but traumatised. Hiruzen seethed inwardly at Danzō's manipulations: the man had not only gone behind his back to solve the internal conflict with the Uchiha Clan, not trusting his Hokage to resolve things peacefully, but had emotionally blackmailed Itachi with a treat against his beloved little brother.

And now he had to deal with the fallout. His old teammates had already been entranced by Danzō's view and he wasn't sure how much he could trust them; Konoha would be seen as weak for years to come as they lost one of their most prominent clans, even if in terms of military strength very little would change as the Uchiha had all been working in the internal Police, and wouldn't _that_ be an entirely different can of worms, which meant that the other countries would be testing the borders to see if they had been truly weakened, and he had to deal with the distraught teen in front of him.

He would have liked to keep Itachi in Konoha, disguising him and reintroducing to the ANBU, but the boy was right that someone had to keep an eye on Madara and that no one else was qualified to do so. He would have to contact Jiraya and, despite his shame, let him know the truth so that the two could rendezvous somewhere and swap intelligence. And possibly have him help the boy with his emotional issues somehow, even if he would never be completely healthy again, it was the least he could do.

Hiruzen allowed himself a moment of sadness for what could have been, as Uchiha Itachi would have been great, without a doubt. Still, not everything was lost, and even if it was a small chance, he would work toward a future where the teen could be reintegrated in the Village.

Dealing with Danzō would take more finesse and attention that he would have liked, and the Sandaime didn't doubt that his old comrade would find a way to free himself of the blame for this massacre. The man still had his uses, after all, but he would need to be watched carefully, least he take advantage of the chaos that would indubitably follow.

Motioning to Itachi to rise, the Hokage schooled his expression so as not to let any of his thoughts through, and spoke to the boy "Uchiha Itachi, it is with great sorrow that I receive your report. Know that as your Hokage, I'm proud of you and your devotion to Konoha. The Will of Fire burns brightly in you, never lose it."

The old man tipped his hat, uncovering his eyes, and continued "As you know, you will not be able to live in the village anymore, and will be labelled as a missing-nin, and even if no hunter-nin squad will be sent after you I have no doubt that you will live a hard life from now on."

Silence stretched as the older man let the teen take everything in, who managed to keep his emotion to show thanks to his ANBU and Uchiha training.

The Hokage then tapped a seal on his desk, and with a poof two different scrolls appeared. Picking them up, Sarutobi offered them to the youth who, after tucking them away looked questioningly at his leader.

"The first scroll, the green one, contains pay for an S-rank mission and indications for a couple of safe houses known only by me. I should think that you'll need some time to yourself." Taking a deep breath, the Sandaime carried on "The second scroll contains a one time summoning contract with the monkeys, thanks to which I'll send you some information and put you in contact with Jiraya. As you cannot be seen in Konoha, he is the next best thing to relay intelligence. From then on, it would be more inconspicuous using your crows. Good luck, Uchiha Itachi, and may the Will of Fire continue to burn brightly in you. I will make sure that your brother is well taken care of."

With the faintest smile, eyes a little less clouded, Itachi bowed to his Hokage one last time and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

The Sandaime looked on to the village from his office's window and smiled slightly. ' _Anything for this place'_ he thought.

He then groaned at the thought of all the paperwork he would need to file and all the problems he would have to take care of.

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Naruto tried to listen to Daifuku-sensei, he really did, but the man was droning on and on about the founding clans and the importance of the Daimyo as a ruler for all of Hi no Kuni, and while he started off nicely talking about the relations between Konoha and the Capital, it became mind-numbing as he went on and on in the technicalities.

Honestly, Naruto would have taken ten minutes to explain the three main institutions, which were the Daimyo, the Hokage and the one that connected the two, the Council of Fire. The council was made by high level functionaries, the two Heads of the country, the elder council, the Jonin Commander and the ANBU commander. Bam, finished.

And so his mind wandered a bit, thinking about the ceremony that was held the day before in the Hokage's office with the Sandaime and the Head of Konoha's barrier team for his obtaining the first Journeyman level in Fūinjutsu.

It had taken Naruto by surprise when Hokage-Jiji had asked him if he wanted to take the test, but the blond had happily thrown himself at the new challenge, and had passed with flying colours.

Kakoi, a second level Fūinjutsu Adept, and third most qualified man present in Konoha at the moment - the Sandaime's only remaining loyal student, who was a Master, was roaming the Elemental Nations on some mission - after the Hokage himself and level three Adept Shimura Danzō, who wasn't really all that willing to be present for this kind of ceremonies.

Obtaining the rank of level one Journeyman meant that he could start studying more advanced seals, even without constant supervision by someone with at least two rank more than him.

The thing was, there were very few who took the route to become Seal Master, as it required a long time and extreme dedication, but Naruto was nothing if not determined.

The Journeyman class was the first to be officially recognised, and consisted of three levels, each with more privileges than the previous. Access to more complex and interesting Seals being only one of them. Once one passed the exam to become an Adept, the next class of Fūinjutsu users, which allowed one to start selling seals independently. There were only three level one, two level two and one level one in the village as a whole. Out of three thousand shinobi in the village, only six Adept class and two Master class.

It was mind-boggling to Naruto, who had been raised with bread and seals ever since he was five. Fūinjutsu, his beloved Art, was the least practised of the shinobi disciplines, without a doubt.

It was true that out of those three thousands shinobi only a thousand and a half were on mission duty, as the various institutions needed military personnel, and even of those the majority were part of the Genin and Chunin corps, people who still had to work hard on their skills to amount to something, therefore not having time to study a time expensive skill like Fūinjutsu when a new Jutsu could bring their potential up by magnitudes.

Naruto felt extremely proud of himself when Hokage-jiji had given him his certificate and the look of astonishment Kakoi wore the whole time made it even better, but now he was so pumped up to go try new seals and that particular matrix he had only glimpsed the existence of in the few Uzumaki journals the Sandaime had given to him - the old man was slowly giving Naruto his inheritance back, and presented him with new scrolls and diaries when he was sure that the boy had completely understood and mastered the previous lessons- but he had to endure, as the teachers had caught him already too many times trying to disguise his writing on his Fūinjutsu diary as taking notes, and had not been pleased, even if they were somewhat amazed that he could even understand the basics of the Art.

Chunin level ninja usually only knew how to make a barrier or so other than the most basic tags, so it was only natural for them to be surprised, but Naruto merely looked at them as if they were incredibly stupid, all the while wanting to scream his heritage for everyone to hear, as he was more than proud to be an Uzumaki, but remembering his promise to Sarutobi, the boy decided to keep quiet. After all, a ninja had to conceal his abilities if he wanted to go somewhere in their profession.

Letting his mind wander, he decided to recap his training of these last few years and what he would need to do in the year to come.

Unfortunately, Naruto didn't have a real friend yet, even if he got along quite well with Shikamaru, Choji and Kiba, so he still had plenty of time left for himself, and now that he lived alone in the apartment Jiji had given to him, he could train freely without fear of getting reprimanded.

Taking a pen in hand, Naruto opened a random notebook and started writing:

TRAINING DONE:

Fūinjutsu Journeyman level one

Basic tags (Enclosing, exploding, flash-bang, smokescreen, stasis)

Classic Uzumaki Clan Five Seals Barrier

Strengthening seal

Gravity seal

Kekkaimon Gofūjutsu: Hachimon Heijō (Barrier Defence Seal Jutsu: Eight Gate Lock-Up) - which at his level was simply an intruder detection barrier, but that would change as he practised -

Taijutsu - Uzumaki style Bājíquán

Flexibility and stretching exercises every day - the Uzumaki style required great mobility as it features explosive, short-range power and is famous for its elbow and shoulder strikes -

Practising the 'six big ways of opening' - Ding 頂: using the fist, elbow or shoulder to push forward and upward; Bao 抱: putting arms together as if hugging someone. It is usually followed by Pi 劈 (splitting); Ti 提: elevating the knee to hit the thigh of the opponent, or elevating the foot to hit the shin of the opponent, etc; Dan 單: using a single move; Kua 胯: using the hip; Chan 纏: entanglement with rotation around the wrist, elbow and shoulder (under the initial supervision of either the Hokage, as he was the only man alive to remember the practice, having seen it many times, or one of the guard ANBU who took pity on him) -

Strength training with elastic bands so as not to unduly stress the body

Ninjutsu

Academy three 1/3 - the Bunshin Technique being still elusive and the Henge still a bit wobbly -

Camping five 3/5 - He could do the Fuuton: _Smokeless Breeze,_ Raiton: Portable Light and Katon: Small Campfire. The Doton technique Softening Ground remained elusive and Suiton: Pure Spring was difficult to produce correctly, as the jutsu should have produced clean water, and Naruto's looked like a rain puddle -

Bukijutsu

Kunai and shuriken throwing

Ninja wire usage

Chakra Control

Leaf sticking

Leaf spinning

TRAINING TO DO (until end of Academy):

Fūinjutsu

Level three Journeyman - an extremely ambitious goal, seeing as each level was more difficult to attain that the other; it is said that even for a prodigy, at least fifteen years are needed to approach the level of Master -

Finger carving method (Super coooool!)

Basic elemental sealing

Enhancing seals

Taijutsu

Completing one of the Fist Forms 1/20

Chakra enhanced attacks, up until small bursts - the Uzumaki style, based upon the ancient art of Bājíquán, had integrated the clan's famous potent chakra into its forms, often helped by way of seals, therefore creating terrifyingly powerful attacks which dealt serious physical damage with each hit; it had been often called as the rival style to the Hyuuga's Gentle Fist, but the comparison couldn't stand as the Byakugan wielders had dedicated their fighting ability almost completely to Taijutsu, and ha therefore a much more refined and fluent style -

Balance and stability training

Ninjutsu

After using the Chakra Paper to see affinity

two D-Rank jutsu, preferably one short range and one support

at least one C-rank jutsu of the same element, preferably long range

Completing the Academy three

Bukijutsu

Betterment of Shurikenjutsu (work on aim and variety)

Beginning of Chun Yang Jian - one of the eight weapon forms comprehended in the Bājíquán style -

Chakra Control

Tree walking (first with hands and then without)

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

Sasuke Uchiha's transformation from classic Uchiha kid, maybe even on the friendly part of the spectrum, to antisocial and revenge driven.

Naruto sensed these changes happening in the weeks following the Uchiha Massacre, and would have normally stayed out of the way, but the deep and desperate feeling of loneliness that Sasuke was experiencing was something extremely familiar to the blond, and so he decided to try and show some support. They both were the last of their clans, after all.

The problem was, Naruto didn't really know how to make friends, did he. The boy tried to observe the dynamic between the other kids, but friendships had already been formed, and while he would have liked to just go there and state that they were now friends, so could he please stop emitting negative emotions like a factory, he knew better.

Therefore, out of possibilities for a normal friendship, Naruto decided to merely help Sasuke out when he needed it, without making a big deal out of it. It seemed the right approach for someone like Sasuke, who was still reeling from the trauma of the massacre happened a little more than a month before.

One day, after seeing the Uchiha struggling with the last of the camping five, Suiton: Pure Spring, the Uzumaki wrote down his observations regarding the jutsu he had finally managed to get down on a page of his notebook and casually made it fall down to Sasuke's seat, then faking ignorance.

It went on like this, the strange comradeship between the two boys, both unwilling to take down their walls and make the first over act of friendship, but covering for each other and giving a hand when they could do it without making it too noticeable.

Sometimes it was Naruto that interposed himself casually between Sasuke and the rapidly forming group of girls who wanted his attention, and sometimes it was the Uchiha who called the attention of the teachers when they got too close to noticing that the blonde was once again immersed in his Fūinjutsu notes.

It was strange, and a bit dysfunctional, but the boys found it strangely comfortable, to have someone to watch their back without having to continuously spend time together.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

Exiting from the Ninja Accessories Shop, a blonde woman, Leaf strolled placidly through Konoha's streets, before ducking in a deserted alley, where she brought her hands up in a hand-seal, generating a poof of smoke.

Eight years old Naruto Uzumaki exited from the alley as inconspicuously as possible, before hurrying to his apartment.

Once inside, he locked the door and activated the Muffling Seals, as was standard practice for him.

He rummaged in his backpack for a couple of seconds before taking out a completely normal looking piece of paper, expression of triumph clear in his face.

Chakra paper wasn't all that cheap, and it could be sold only to shinobi, as it required headband and identification number to buy.

Of course, Naruto being an Uzumaki just _had_ to have it early, and so he set out to find a proper vict- err… model for his henge.

After a couple of days he found a genin kunoichi that was training for the Chunin Exams, and so had all the right to be seen buying Chakra Paper; Naruto followed her, making sure to stay hidden from her perception at all times, until he had learnt her mannerism and speech pattern, as the teenage girl had the tendency to have long pauses between words when she spoke.

The blonde boy then broke into her house in the civilian district and found her identification papers, wrote down what he needed, and hightailed back to his apartment.

The next step was finding a day when the girl was out training and the Ninja Accessories Shop - which was the one shop with the least security - had only that civilian guy who always looked bored out of his mind and no one else. Once he found the right time, it was a piece of cake.

Naruto snickered a bit thinking of his prank, but he knew better than to proclaim what he had done, as this was the sort of minor thing that fell unnoticed by the newly reconstructed Police Corps, as they were still managing the mess left from the Massacre and the ANBU were too overworked to deal with it. All in all, a good prank indeed.

Taking the piece of paper in hand, Naruto channelled the smallest amount of chakra that he could, which was still a lot even after all the control exercises he did, and the paper immediately split in two, a clean cut.

Wind, that was his element.

Well, Naruto could work with that.

With a foxy grin, eyes crinkled a bit, the Last Uzumaki started planning his next moves.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

 ** _Doooooone!_**

 ** _Uff, this chapter was pretty difficult, as it was mostly world-building, but from the next one you will start to see some action, don't worry._**

 ** _I have introduced Sasuke, as he will be an important player in the grand scheme of things, but I have given him a different role._**

 ** _I wanted to portray a Sasuke who feels deeply wounded and doesn't want to let anyone near him and also feels the deep emptiness left by his family, but who gets started on the road of the recovery by an efficient Sandaime and a supportive Naruto, who doesn't bitch too much about not having the Uchiha undivided attention._**

 ** _Itachi's role will be extremely important, that is all I'll say for now._**

 ** _Sarutobi will be a bit more ninja-ish, as you must have noticed, and doesn't give up on rebuilding his village again and again. I wanted to stay as close as canon as possible with the Massacre, but from then on he will be much more active, seeing as he now has the upper hand with the Elder Council._**

 ** _I don't remember where I read the Fūinjutsu classification, but I want to thank whoever wrote that fic both for the idea and because I remember really liking it._**

 ** _Kakoi is an actual character present in the series, even if he is seen only before the Pain attack, but I figured that giving him a Fūinjutsu rank wasn't too much of a stretch._**

 ** _Next chapter will see Naruto's tenth year!_**

 ** _I want to thank again everyone for the encouraging reviews, Follows and Favorites!_**

 ** _See ya next time,_**

 ** _J_**


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